Don Carlos et al

While waiting for my next Perry order to arrive, I've been finishing up some command figures. First up is Don Carlos, after whom the Carlist movement was named (and, by extension, the conflict itself). When King Ferdinand VII of Spain died on September 26, 1833, his wife Cristina was made regent on behalf of their infant daughter Isabella (hence the name for the movement, Cristino or Isabellino). Don Carlos, brother of Ferdinand, opted to believe that he should succeed his brother rather than the infant Isabella and he chose to fight for his perceived rights as King Carlos V. For a good synopsis of the war, see here.

Don Carlos in his familiar black overcoat.
I've switched to Army Painter matt sealer and it seems to give a bit of a sheen to the figures that is emphasized by the photography. Not sure I'm sold on this product yet. I may have to put a coat of Dullcote over it.

I've also painted up some infantry command figures for my Carlist army, in anticipation of the infantry coming in my next order.

Many of the Carlist standards were simple patriotic slogans on a white background:
"Viva la Religion, Viva Carlos V" and " Carlos V Rey Absoluto." These are some of the exquisite Adolfo Ramos flags.

And finally, a small vignette. With my latest issue of Battlegames magazine, I received two of the new plastic Perry Napoleonic French dismounted dragoons. After seeing these beautiful figures, and since I've been inspired somewhat of late by the vignette work of Der Alte Fritz on his blog, I decided to create a small cavalry piquet vignette for my Carlist project. The uniforms and equipment on these figures very closely resemble those used by Isabellino line cavalry units. The only serious exceptions were the lapels or plastrons on the tunics and the tall riding boots. Quick reference to Cairn's The First Carlist War 1833-1840 showed that Isabellino cavalry in the early years of the war still wore the tall boots and an all blue (or turqui) uniform. This is in contrast to the later yellow uniform and trousers (without tall riding boots). I had to carve off the lapels but fortunately there were only two figures to deal with. I used an extra Perry horse and replaced the arm on one figure with the separate bugler's arm from the Carlist metal command pack. The most difficult conversion work was in modelling the reins in the bugler's hands. I carved the reins off of the horse and replaced with brown needlepoint thread soaked in a glue/water mix (a fiddly business).

Isabellino cavalry piquet.
For the most part, this stand will just be window dressing for the table but there is provision in Sharp Practice for the use of sentries and piquets.

I've finally run out of Carlist Wars figures and I continue to eagerly await my Perry order!